USA Eye of the Whale Arch

Eye of the Whale Arch gives this spot its name, but the surrounding desert landscape is at least as interesting.

You can climb into the arch if you want (and if you are careful), but I found that the best photographs were taken from around the small basin of water below the arch. (The water won't be there unless there has been recent rain.) The sand formations and rocks nearby are also very attractive. Keep an eye out for interesting forms as you hike from the parking lot to the arch.

It's a relatively easy half-mile hike from the the parking lot to the base of the arch, but it's a desert trail. You'll want sturdy boots. And the parking lot is on an unpaved desert road that you'll want a four-wheel drive vehicle to navigate. From the Balanced Rock Viewpoint parking area head west and turn north almost immediately on the unpaved road entering from the right. Follow that road for a little less than a mile before turning right again. Then it's slightly less than two miles to the parking area. You can find Eye of the Whale Arch on Google Maps, but you'll want to download offline maps when you have a wireless connection if you plan to use it to navigate.